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Top-10 Finalists Named for 2016 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award

Nineteenth Annual Award to be Presented March 19 in New Hampshire

An award of The USA Hockey Foundation, the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is presented annually to the top player in NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey.

The USA Hockey Foundation today announced the top-10 finalists for the 2016 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award. The honor is bestowed annually upon the top player in NCAA Division I women's ice hockey, and this year will be unveiled at a brunch ceremony at Wentworth By The Sea in New Castle, New Hampshire, on Sat., March 19, as part of the NCAA Women's Frozen Four weekend hosted by the University of New Hampshire.

The selection process commenced earlier this month when NCAA Division I women's ice hockey coaches were asked to nominate players for the award. Players who were nominated by two or more coaches were then placed on an official ballot, which was sent back to the coaches to vote for the top-10 finalists. The independent accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP, tabulated the ballots.

The three finalists, including the recipient of the 2016 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, will be chosen by a 13-person selection committee made up of NCAA Division I women's ice hockey coaches, representatives of print and broadcast media, an at-large member and representative of USA Hockey, the national governing body for the sport of ice hockey in the United States. The top-three finalists will be announced on Thurs., March 3.

Tickets to the 2016 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Ceremony and Brunch can be purchased at PattyKaz.com. Individual seats to the event are $65, while tables of 12 are available for $700. A select number of sponsorships and program advertisements are also available.

Notes: Six schools are represented in the top-10, including three finalists from Boston College and two each for the University of Minnesota and the University of Wisconsin ... Among the top-10 finalists are six forwards, two defensemen and two goaltenders, including five seniors, three juniors and two sophomores ... Alex Carpenter has a chance to become the first player to repeat as the award winner and become only the second player to win it twice ... Harvard's Jennifer Botterill won it in 2001 and 2003 ... Hannah Brandt has been a top-10 finalist in all four of her college seasons (2013-2016), including a top-three finalist last year ... The Western Collegiate Hockey Association leads all conferences with five finalists, while the Hockey East Association boasts four finalists and ECAC Hockey has one finalist.

2015 Patty Kazmaier Award Top-10 Finalists

Name

School

Pos.

Year

Shelby Amsley-Benzie

University of North Dakota

G

Senior

Hannah Brandt

University of Minnesota

F

Senior

Dani Cameranesi

University of Minnesota

F

Junior

Alex Carpenter

Boston College

F

Senior

Kendall Coyne

Northeastern University

F

Senior

Ann-Renee Desbiens

University of Wisconsin

G

Junior

Megan Keller

Boston College

D

Sophomore

Kelsey Koelzer

Princeton University

D

Junior

Annie Pankowski

University of Wisconsin

F

Sophomore

Haley Skarupa

Boston College

F

Senior

Shelby Amsley-Benzie

Goaltender • University of North Dakota • Senior • Warroad, Minn.

Ranks second in the WCHA and fourth in the NCAA with eight shutouts on the season … Ranks third in the WCHA with a 1.60 goals-against average … Ranks fourth in the WCHA with a .932 save percentage … Only goalie in the nation to defeat two No. 1-ranked teams this season … Named WCHA Defensive Player of the Week on Dec. 15 after posting back-to-back shutouts against then-No. 1 Wisconsin … Named WCHA Defensive Player of the Month for December after making 103-of-104 saves during the month … Only goalie in the nation to shutout both Minnesota and Wisconsin this season … Three-time WCHA Scholar Athlete … Holds a 4.0 grade-point average while simultaneously earning both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemical engineering ... Volunteered with UND French Fry Feed, UND Hockey Fan Festival and Try Hockey For Free Day ... Mentor with the UND chapter of American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Hannah Brandt

Forward • University of Minnesota • Senior • Vadnais Heights, Minn.

Fifth in NCAA in points (54) and sixth in goals (24) … Tenth in NCAA with 30 assists … Second in WCHA with 41 points and 19 goals in conference play … Ranks fourth with 24 assists in WCHA games … 16 power-play points is tied for fifth in NCAA … Named 2015-16 WCHA Preseason Player of the Year … Two-time WCHA Offensive Player of the Week … NCAA-best four hat tricks … Minnesota’s career leader in points (275) and assists (116) and ranks second in goals (114) … 275 career points ranks fourth in NCAA history … Tied Minnesota record with a five-goal game on November 14 over Bemidji State… Volunteer experience includes Minnesota Hockey, Big Brothers Big Sisters, University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital, Hope Kids, Maplewood Care Center, and area youth hockey associations.

Dani Cameranesi

Forward • University of Minnesota • Junior • Plymouth, Minn.

Ranks fourth in goals (28), points (61) and goals per game (0.85), fifth in assists (33) and points per game (1.85), and sixth in assists per game (1.00) among NCAA players … NCAA leader with 12 power-play goals and .243 scoring percentage … WCHA leader in goals (24), points (53), power-play goals (11), and scoring percentage (.253) in conference play … Two-time WCHA Offensive Player of the Month (November, December) and one-time WCHA Offensive Player of the Week … recorded a career-high eight-point series at Ohio State … Has 18 multi-point games including seven multi-goal games … Ranks 11th in Minnesota history in career points (162) … Volunteered with Hope Kids and Hope Day Festival, Special Olympics Minnesota, University of Minnesota Unlimited Dance Marathon, and University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital.

Alex Carpenter

Forward • Boston College • Senior • North Reading, Mass.

Leads nation in points (76), assists (38) and power-play points (23) … Tied for first among NCAA players in power-play assists (15) and hat tricks (4) … Second nationally in goals (38), goals per game (1.12), assists per game (1.12), Tied for second in game-winning goals (7) and shorthanded goals (3) … Third nationally in plus/minus (+55) … Tied for third nationally in power-play goals (8) … Leads nation in faceoff wins (507) and faceoff percentage (.706) … Leads HEA in assists (32), assists per game (1.33), power-play assists (13), power-play points (17), faceoff wins (374) and faceoff percentage (.714) in conference play … Second in HEA in points (51) in conference play … Eight-time HEA Player of the Week this year – a single-season conference record – and two-time HEA Player of the Month … Volunteers with Boston College’s Campus School, speaks on behalf of the HEAR Program, BC Connell School of Nursing’s sled hockey game and with the Eagles’ Team IMPACT program.

Kendall Coyne

Forward • Northeastern University • Senior • Palos Heights, Ill.

National leader in goals (44), goals per game (1.33), points per game (2.27), shorthanded goals (4) and plus/minus (+5) … Second nationally in points (75) … Ninth nationally in assists (31) and 10th in assists per game (0.94) … Leads HEA with 55 points, 30 goals, 1.30 goals per game, 2.39 points per game and 3 hat tricks in conference play … Second in HEA play with 25 assists … Six-time HEA Player of the Week and two-time HEA Player of the Month … Earned Northeastern ‘Top Dog’ honors during fall 2015 semester for earning a GPA of 3.8 or higher … Volunteers as ambassador for Ronald McDonald House of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana ... Volunteered with Make-A-Wish Foundation, Cradles to Crayons, Bonnie’s Foundation and Julie Foundation in Chicago ... Organized Team for Tomorrow event at local YMCA ... Helped at Chicago Blackhawks Youth Hockey camps ... Made school visits and gave motivational talks in Chicago.

Ann-Renee Desbiens

Goaltender • University of Wisconsin • Junior • La Malbaie, Que.

Leads the NCAA in goals-against average (0.82), save percentage (.956) and shutouts (16) … Second nationally in wins (28) and win percentage (.891) … 16 shutouts are tied for the second-most in NCAA history and one away from matching NCAA record ... Has eight wins this year against ranked teams ... Set an NCAA record with a scoreless streak of 543:33 ... Her 33 career shutouts are the third-most in NCAA history ... Named WCHA Defensive Player of the Month in October and January ... Earned five WCHA Defensive Player of the Week honors and two American Sports Network Player of the Week accolades ... Volunteered at Make Bo Pay and the American Family Children’s Hospital.

Megan Keller

Defense • Boston College • Sophomore • Farmington Hills, Mich.

Tied for sixth nationally in assists (32) … Tied for first nationally in power play assists (15) … Second nationally in power play points (19) … Tied for 11th in the nation in points (44) ... Second nationally in plus/minus (+56) ... Leads nation’s defensemen in points (44), points per game (1.29), assists (32), assists per game (0.94), shooting percentage (.158) and plus/minus (+56) ... Second nationally among defensemen in goals (12) ... Volunteers with Boston College’s Campus School (special education students with complex learning needs), Newton Athletes Unlimited (community program for developmentally-disabled children), Perkins School for the Blind’s Goal Ball, BC Connell School of Nursing’s sled hockey game, the SAAC Adopt-A-Child Gift Wrap, Walpole Express youth hockey and with the Eagles’ Team IMPACT program.

Kelsey Koelzer

Defense • Princeton University • Junior • Horsham, Pa.

National leader in goals scored by a defenseman (16) … Tied for fifth nationally in power-play goals (7) … Second in the nation among defensemen in points per game (1.03) … Third nationally among defensemen in points (30) … Leads ECAC defensemen in goals (11), points (23), power play assists (4) and power play points (7) in conference games … Tied for third in ECAC in points per game (1.05) in league play … Tied for first in the league in power play goals (4) ... Tied for second in the league in game-winning goals (4) ... Two-time ECAC Player of the Week ... Had a six-point weekend in a sweep of No. 10 Colgate and Cornell on the road that won Princeton its first Ivy League title since 2006 ... Two-time ECAC All-Academic ... Volunteer efforts in fundraising for Denna Laing Fund and Do It For Darin, Colon Cancer game ... Participated in Weapons of Mass Construction and was an active member in Team Impact event planning.

Annie Pankowski

Forward • University of Wisconsin • Sophomore • Laguna Hills, Calif.

Ranks seventh nationally and third in the WCHA in points (52) … Tied for sixth nationally and third in the WCHA in assists (32) … Leads WCHA in power play assists (11) in conference games … Second in the WCHA in power play points (14) in league play … Has registered a point in 29 of Wisconsin’s 32 games this season and has 14 multi-point games ... Had a 21-game point streak, which ranks fifth in UW program history ... Named WCHA Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 5 and Dec. 6 and was named the American Sports Network Player of the Week on Dec. 6 ... Volunteered at the Americans Family Children’s Hospital, Toys for Tots, the Goodman Community Center Food Pantry ... Also has taken part in UW’s “Flat Bucky” program and skated with the Madison Timber Wolves, an area hockey team for children and adults with special needs.

Haley Skarupa

Forward • Boston College • Senior • Rockville, Md.

Tied for second nationally in assists (37) and game-winning goals (8) … Second in the nation in power play goals (9) … Third in the nation in points (66), goals (29), goals per game (0.85) and assists per game (1.09) ... Has two hat tricks this season ... +50 rating is fifth nationally ... Leads HEA in game-winning goals (6) and power play goals (7) in conference play … Second in HEA play in goals (26) and third in points (49)... Two-time HEA player of the week this season ... Volunteers with Newton Athletes Unlimited (community program for developmentally-disabled children), speaks on behalf of the HEAR Program, BC Connell School of Nursing’s sled hockey game, Walpole Express youth hockey and with the Eagles’ Team IMPACT program.

ABOUT THE PATTY KAZMAIER MEMORIAL AWARD
An award of The USA Hockey Foundation, the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is annually presented to the top player in NCAA Division I women's ice hockey. Selection criteria includes outstanding individual and team skills, sportsmanship, performance in the clutch, personal character, competitiveness and a love of hockey. Consideration is also given to academic achievement and civic involvement.

ABOUT PATTY KAZMAIERThe Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is named in honor of the late Patty Kazmaier, who was a four-year varsity letter-winner and All-Ivy League defenseman at Princeton University from 1981-86. An accomplished athlete who helped lead the Tigers to the Ivy League Championship in three consecutive seasons (1981-84), Patty Kazmaier-Sandt died Feb. 15, 1990, at the age of 28 following a long struggle with a rare blood disease.